35-year-old mother of 7 sets world record, becomes first black woman to earn PhD in Survey Methodology

A 35-year-old mother of 7 named Alena Maze has made history as the first-ever black woman to earn a Doctorate degree in Survey Methodology in the world.

Alena is a famous YouTuber and a mother of 7 who successfully earned a Ph.D. in Survey Methodology. She is the first and only Black person in the world to hold a doctorate degree in that field.

She mentioned that she was inspired to pursue a career as a survey statistician because of her passion for math and health and she hopes to develop inclusivity in surveys. Alena obtained her bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics at Bowie State University, United States.

Alena said in an Instagram post that she started her university journey at the age of 19 and graduated with her bachelor’s degree at the age of 22. She mentioned that it was during that period she gave birth to her first two children.

She proceeded to George Town University to bag a master’s in Applied mathematics. After earning her master’s at Georgetown University, Alena said she went on to pursue her Ph.D. in Survey Methodology and Statistics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Alena shared on Facebook that she obtained her Ph.D. after passing her dissertation defense and that she is the first African American to do so.

“What’s a Survey Methodologist? Well, I’m a Survey Statistician, so specifically, I research the math behind surveys, Suppose we want more information on how diabetes affects women ages 30-40, in order to develop better treatment courses,” Alena said.